


The Dam Broke

by through_shadows_falling



Series: Supernatural Ficlets [56]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Emotional Hurt, Men of Letters Bunker, POV Claire Novak
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-02
Updated: 2016-03-02
Packaged: 2018-05-24 08:14:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6147376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/through_shadows_falling/pseuds/through_shadows_falling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Claire massaged her aching hand. She could barely move her fingers, but you know what? It was worth it.</p>
<p>It was worth auctioning off a teeny tiny part of her soul so the witch would tell her where Castiel was. </p>
<p>And it was even more worth it when she arrived and got to punch him in his stupid face.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Dam Broke

Claire massaged her aching hand. She could barely move her fingers, but you know what? It was worth it.

It was worth auctioning off a teeny tiny part of her soul so the witch would tell her where Castiel was. 

And it was even more worth it when she arrived and got to punch him in his stupid face. 

Her father’s face. 

Claire tried to curl her hand into a fist, but the pain was too great. She probably _had_ busted something. Awesome.

Now, where would she find a stupid bandage in this place? Actually, what _was_  this place? An ancient bomb shelter or something? Everything looked super old, and there were like a million hallways and a million doors. How did the Winchesters even end up here?

Claire found a bathroom, and quickly shouldered her way inside when voices called after her.

Yeah, they were probably pretty pissed. After all, she’d shown up on their doorstep unannounced, and then immediately asked for Castiel when the shorter of the two brothers answered. She’d revealed her name, and then when the angel showed up, all the rage boiling inside her exploded until she’d landed a few solid punches before fleeing past them.

She couldn’t help it. There was just something about his drooping expression, about the regret and self-loathing swirling in his eyes that made her want to scream.

Castiel had promised her father he’d take care of Claire and her mother. He’d _promised_. 

And now her mother was off God-knows-where (though God could screw himself), and Claire dreamed every night of flying, of the cosmos, of the stupid crap Castiel had left in her head after he’d transferred back to her father as a vessel. 

All for what? Nothing! He was still on Earth and monsters were still running around, killing people and wreaking havoc. What exactly had Castiel accomplished after stealing her father and ruining their lives?

Claire rooted through the medicine cabinet above the sink and found some nice, thick gauze which she removed and carefully wrapped around her hand. The tightness helped with the pain as she flexed her fingers. She sniffled. 

Oh damn it. She was crying again. Stupid, stupid, stupid. What would tears get her? She scoffed even as she one-handedly splashed water on her face. At least tears made more sense than prayers. She wondered if Castiel had kept count of all the desperate pleas she’d made over the years.

“Um, I’m guessing you’re Claire?”

Claire glared into her reflection at the bathroom door, where a kid had peeked his head in. He looked about her age except for his eyes. He had seen things, just like her. 

“Who the hell are you?” she demanded.

“Kevin Tran.”

“Why are you here?”

“Hey, Kev! You see where she went?”

Claire tensed. Kevin ducked back out to answer the other brother in the hallway. “No, but she’s not this way.” He waited a beat, then slipped inside and closed the door.  

Claire faced him. “What do you want?”

Kevin held up his hands in surrender. “Nothing. Just. Damn. You hit him hard, huh? No wonder he’s bleeding.”

“Oh was he?” Claire said, feigning innocence. She smirked to herself and shook her head. “This is all so messed up. _Fucked_  up.”

“Remind me exactly who you are again?”

Claire made a face as Kevin leaned against the closed door, his arms crossed. 

“Claire Novak. As in the daughter of the body Castiel is wearing.”

Kevin winced. “Oh. Wow. That sucks. If it makes you feel any better, I was screwed over by God, too.”

Claire raised an eyebrow.

“I’m a prophet of God,” Kevin explained. He tapped his temple. “I get blinding headaches and my only purpose in life is to translate an old rock. Oh, and my mom was killed by the king of Hell so that’s why I live here.” A haunted smile flashed over his face. “I used to play the cello. I was an AP student.”

“I used to have parents and live in a house.”

“Me, too.”

Claire’s face fell. “Castiel used to possess me.”

“What?”

“Yeah. Try getting over that. An angel inside of you.”

Kevin shuddered. “I’ve got crap like that to deal with, too.” He hesitated. “Hey, you hungry?”

Claire scowled. “Well, yeah, but I’ll punch him if I see him again, and this time I _will_  break my hand.”

“So we go around. Come on. They’re in the war room, I think. I know a secret way around to the kitchen.”

Reluctantly, Claire followed Kevin as he led them on a winding route around the bunker. It seemed that the Winchesters had stopped looking for her for the moment, since the hallways were quiet.

“What do you want to eat? I think there’s some leftovers from last night. Dean made meatloaf.”

“Dean? Meatloaf? He’s the shorter one, right?”

“Yeah, and don’t knock it till you try it. He doesn’t look it, but he’s really good at cooking.”

“How nice that you have food here.”

Kevin stopped and Claire nearly ran into him. 

“I know you don’t like them, but...it’s safe. You’d get your own bed, your own room. And Dean cooks and Sam helps clean and Cas--”

“It’s not safe if _he’s_ here.” Claire squared her jaw.

“Well, he’s human now so there’s not much he can do--”

“I’m sorry, he’s _what_?”

“Uh, yeah. Cas Fell. He doesn’t have his Grace anymore.”

Claire’s mouth fell open as her brain short-circuited. 

No way he’d be that horrible. No way Castiel would throw away her father’s sacrifice as if it meant nothing. She knew he was awful, but she thought he was better than _that_.

“A lot’s happened,” Kevin said, his voice gentle.

“Oh, you found her.”

Dean appeared behind them in a different plaid shirt, since some of Castiel’s blood must’ve sprayed on his previous one. Or so Claire guessed. Nothing made sense anymore.

She floated past Kevin, tuning out his voice and Dean’s as she ventured to the kitchen.

Where Castiel slumped in one of the chairs, holding a bloody rag to his nose.

He noticed Claire, and there again were his big, sad eyes. 

But this time, instead of rage, a great sob burst out of her. No, it was pointless to cry, it was _stupid_  to cry... But she couldn’t stop. The dam broke, and she collapsed at Castiel’s feet. She shoved at his legs, trying to punch him, but all her strength had fled. Her limbs felt weak, like jelly, and she couldn’t protest when Castiel gently caught her wrists and pulled her up until she was pressed to his chest. 

He held her there as she cried into his shoulder. He stroked her back and then started rocking her like a child, which she would’ve complained about if she had been able to speak around her painful, hitching breaths.  

“I’m so sorry, Claire. I’m so, so sorry,” he breathed in her ear over and over again, but the words were meaningless. 

Still, her body betrayed her and she sagged into him as if she believed his lies. 

It was a long time before she tore herself away. Some part of her had missed her father, even if this really wasn’t _him_. And how messed up was that?

“It’s going to be okay,” Castiel said quietly.

Claire stood and rubbed her puffy eyes. Sam, Dean, and Kevin hovered behind her. 

She let out a watery laugh. “Why should I trust anything you say?”

Castiel cringed. 

“Hey, Claire,” Sam said, as she stepped toward her. “Do you have anywhere to stay tonight?”

“What about your mother?” Castiel asked.

“Oh, suddenly you care?” Claire spat, vindictively gleeful that he flinched again. She hugged her arms to her chest and she stared at the floor. “No. I don’t have anywhere to go. My mother is long gone, my father’s _dead_  and my foster home is a dump.” 

Each word seemed to stab Castiel in the gut as he hunched over the more she spoke. Claire took great pleasure in it until she realized how exhausted she was.

“Come on,” Dean said. “I’ll set you up with a room.”

Claire wanted to refuse, but she was too tired. Dean brought her to a small room with a bed, a dresser, and an empty closet.

“It’s clean,” he said.

Claire didn’t care. She waited for him to leave before she curled up on the bed. She pulled the covers over herself and cried herself to sleep.

 

**Author's Note:**

> This story has been in my head since season eight, when I first realized the glory of the Claire/Kevin ship. Seriously, they’d get along so well! If only they’d been able to meet.
> 
> Anyways, it’s nice exorcizing this from my mind. It feels good to get it out there at long last.


End file.
